The Trinity - Day 7

The Trinity - Day 8

God is God! Wow, His plan is simple but He isn't easy...He is certainly a complex, exciting, magnificent and all knowing God. Thank Him, Beloved, for He carries our universe within Him!

STUDY VERSES:

V. The Father of Jesus Christ Is God

See: John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; . The expression, "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ": 2 Cor. 1:3; Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3

VI. Jesus Christ Is God

Verses: Isa. 9:6; note Isa. 10:21. John 1:1, since there is only one God, Jesus is that God. However, the "a god" rendering is incorrect. Other passages using the Greek word for God (theos) in the same construction are always rendered "God": Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38; John 8:54; Phil 2:13; Heb. 11:16. Passages in which a shift occurs from ho theos ("the God") to theos ("God") never imply a shift in meaning: Mark 12:27; Luke 20:37-38; John 3:2; 13:3; Rom. 1:21; 1 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 4:10-11 John 1:18.

The best manuscripts have "the unique God" (monogenês, frequently rendered "only-begotten," actually means "one of a kind," "unique," though in the NT always in the context of a son or daughter). John 20:28. Note that Christ's response indicates that Thomas' acclamation was not wrong. Also note that John 20:17 does show that the Father was Jesus' "God" (due to Jesus becoming a man), but the words "my God" as spoken by Thomas later in the same chapter must mean no less than in John 20:17.

Thus, what the Father is to Jesus in His humanity, Jesus is to Thomas (and therefore to us as well). Acts 20:28: "the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." The variant readings (e.g. "the church of the Lord") show that the original was understood to mean "His own blood," not "the blood of His own [Son]" (since otherwise no one would have thought to change it).

Jesus is Jehovah/Yahweh Rom. 10:9-13. The "Lord" of Rom. 10:13 must be the "Lord" of Rom. 10:9, 10:12.Phil. 2:9-11. In context, the "name that is above every name" is "Lord" (Phil. 2:11), i.e., Jehovah. Heb. 1:10: Here God the Father addresses the Son as "Lord," in a quotation from Psa. 102:25 (cf. Psa. 102:24, where the person addressed is called "God"). Since here the Father addresses the Son as "Lord," this cannot be explained away as a text in which a creature addresses Christ as God/Lord in a merely representational sense.1 Pet. 2:3-4: This verse is nearly an exact quotation of Psa. 34:8 a, where "Lord" is Jehovah.

From 1 Pet. 2:4-8 it is also clear that "the Lord" in 1 Pet. 2:3 is Jesus.1 Pet. 3:14-15: these verses are a clear reference to Isa. 8:12-13, where the one who is to be regarded as holy is Jehovah.

Texts where Jesus is spoken of as the "one Lord" (cf. Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29): 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:5; cf. Rom. 10:12; 1 Cor. 12:5. Jesus has the titles of God, Titles belonging only to God The first and the last: Rev. 1:17; 22:13; cf. Isa. 44:6King of kings and Lord of lords: 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14; 19:16

Titles belonging in the ultimate sense only to God Savior: Luke 2:11; John 4:42; 1 John 4:14; Titus 2:13, cf. Titus 2:10; etc.; cf. Isa. 43:11; 45:21-22; 1 Tim. 4:10; on Jesus becoming the source of salvation; Heb. 5:9, cf. Ex. 15:2; Psa. 118:14, 118:21Shepherd: John 10:11; Heb. 13:20; cf. Psa. 23:1; Isa. 40:11Rock: 1 Cor. 10:4; cf. Isa. 44:8

Jesus received the honors due to God alone Honor: John 5:23Love: Matt. 10:37Prayer: John 14:14; Acts 1:24-25; 7:59-60 (cf. Luke 23:34, 23:46); Rom. 10:12-13; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 12:8-10 (where "the Lord" must be Jesus, cf. 2 Cor. 12:9); 2 Thess. 2:16-17; etc.Worship (proskuneô): Matt. 28:17; Heb. 1:6 (cf. Psa. 97:7); cf. Matt 4:10Religious or sacred service (latreuô): Rev. 22:13Doxological praise: 2 Tim. 4:18; 2 Pet. 3:18; Rev. 1:5-6; 5:13Faith: John 3:16; 14:1; etc.

Jesus does the works of God Creation: John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:2; Rev. 3:14 (where archê probably means ruler); on "through" and "in" cf. Rom. 11:36; Heb. 2:10; Acts 17:28; cf. also Isa. 44:24Sustains the universe: Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3, 1:11-12

Salvation: Forgives sins: Matt. 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26; note that Jesus forgives sins not committed against Him. All of them: John 5:17-29 (including judgment, cf. Matt. 25:31-46; 2 Cor. 5:10)

Jesus has all the incommunicable attributes of God All of them: John 1:1; Phil. 2:6; Col. 1:15; 2:9; Heb. 1:3 Self-existent: John 5:26 Unchangeable: Heb. 1:10-12 (in the same sense as YHWH); Heb. 13:8Eternal: John 1:1; 8:58; 17:5; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:2

Omnipresent: Matt. 18:20; 28:20; John 3:13; Eph. 1:23; 4:10; Col. 3:11

Omniscient: John 16:30; 21:17; cf. John 2:23-24

Incomprehensible: Matt. 11:25-27 Jesus is "equal with God" John 5:18: Although John is relating what the Jews understood Jesus to be claiming, the context shows they were basically right: In John 5:17 claimed to be exempt from the Sabbath along with His Father, and in John 5:19-29 Jesus claimed to do all of the work of the Father and to deserve the same honor as the Father Phil. 2:6:

Jesus did not attempt to seize recognition by the world as being equal with God, but attained that recognition by humbling himself and being exalted by the Father (Phil. 2:7-11) Jesus is the Son of God "Son" in Scripture can mean simply one possessing the nature of something, whether literal or figurative (e.g. "Son of man," "sons of thunder," "sons of disobedience," cf. Mark 3:7; Eph. 2:1).Usually when "son of" is used in relation to a person (son of man, son of Abraham, son of David, etc.) the son possesses the nature of his father.

Jesus is clearly not the literal Son of God, i.e., He was not physically procreated by God.On the other hand, Jesus is clearly the Son of God in a unique sense (cf. "only-begotten son," John 1:14; 3:16, 3:18; 1 John 4:9) and in a preeminent sense (i.e. the term is more fitting for Him than for anyone else).

Scripture is explicit that the Son possesses God's essence or nature.Jesus' repeated claim to be the Son of God was consistently understood by the Jewish leaders as a blasphemous claim to equality with God, an understanding Jesus never denied: John 5:17-23; 8:58-59; 10:30-39; 19:7; Matt. 26:63-65.

Jesus is therefore by nature God's Son, not God's creation or God's servant; Jesus is God's Son who became a servant for our sake and for the Father's glory (John 13:13-15; 17:4; Phil. 2:6-11; Heb. 1:4-13; 3:1-6; 5:8; etc.).

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Beloved, we walk by faith and not by sight! Those of us who have taken on faith that Jesus is Lord, that He is God, that He is Jehovah---that is a good thing. However, when battling the powers of darkness and the prince of the air we must be prepared to refute our belief with scripture. Memorizing just one of these scriptures will be a gift to your salvation. For me, John 1:1-5 are the verses that ripped the veil from my eyes and allowed my heart to open to Jesus. Those scriptures alone contain the mystery and the truth of the Trinity! My faith walk is built on the foundation of those scriptures. It is worth us storing some of these in our heart for the needle that satan wants to push into our heels--put on those shoes, the gospel of Peace that will protect you against the ways of the enemy.

Tomorrow we'll examine the Holy Spirit and His relation to Jesus and God and then we conclude this portion of the study in the Trinity. Our next study is open for suggestions or comments--feel free to send me an email: seeinggodsbeauty@yahoo.com if you would like. God is merciful, He is wonderful, He is perfect in His timing. Did you skip ahead that hour? Well, don't deny the most holy day and make your way to fellowship this evening if you missed the morning. Enjoy the wondrous birds, flora, fauna and animals all peeking out for Spring. I did my 3 miles today and it was a time for singing to the Lord. He gives us opportunity to see and talk to Him each step of our journey. God bless, beloved, Sister Lisa